What is this contraption? It has a gear, a crank, a hose? maybe a gate??

In the same batch of photos, apparently taken the same
day sometime between 1919 and 1921, is this one that appears to be either the same contraption from a
different angle or a similar one perhaps at the opposite end of the ramp.

What function this contraption performs is a mystery to me,
but an alert fellow-Sepian last week asked if it controls the locks on a canal. If so, then my guess is this group of friends
cruised through the Deep Creek Locks into the Dismal Swamp, which forms part of
the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.

Hoping to confirm this theory, I went in search of
historic photos of the Deep Creek Locks.
While I found nothing with which to compare this contraption, I did find lots of photos of canal boats, also
known as narrowboats, which look similar to the one my great aunt Helen Killeen
Parker and her friends rode on.

Notice the flat top common among
canal boats and narrowboats.

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Plus, I found this YouTube video of a modern-day boater
at the Deep Creek Locks.

Another YouTube video offers a good view of the gear and crank of a canal lock, albeit smaller than the one in Helen's photo, enough to convince me that's what the contraption was. It's a long video, but the opening minute or two will make it clear.

Have we solved the mystery of this whatchamacallit? Maybe.
Surely the boat is a canal boat.
Virginia does not boast many canals, and Helen didn’t venture far from
home if her photos can be trusted. Between
1913 and 1929, the Dismal Swamp had fallen out of favor as a route for
commercial traffic leaving it safe and relatively empty for pleasure boaters
such as Helen and her friends.

Apparently canal boats are still common in many parts of
Europe, so I shouldn’t be surprised that my fellow-Sepian recognized the
working mechanism of a canal lock.

Those are some serious gears on the contraption. Your Aunt Helen would not want to get her skirt too close when the gears were turning, else she would be skirtless. Great photos and variation on a theme. I wished my gggrantparents had photos of their trek through the Erie Canal. Thanks again.

What an interesting post! I watched the second video all the way through - partly for watching what was going on, & partly for simply listening to the voices. We native Californians have no accent or brogue or any interesting feature to our voices whatsoever. So boring!

Wendy, my first thought when I saw the top picture was that it had to do with a small drawbridge or something of that sort. My eyes played tricks on me, trying to discern that gate behind the people--it looked as if it were parallel sides to a foot bridge. Knowing it more likely was related to a canal boat operation makes more sense.

I remember traveling down a canal boat in central Ohio--a reconstructed route done in association with a museum or historical society--and noticing how peaceful and quiet the ride was. Certainly it was a different style--and pace--of life.

Interesting. My first thought was for a ferry that was winched to and fro across the river where there was no bridge. They were relatively common in the past. But there would have to be a similar landing on the other side. The cables went across under the water.

I do hope it was a canal, it suits the whatchamacallit. I love canals and although I've had rides on the narrowboats on the canals near where I used to live, I had a hankering for a whole week in one. I rather fancy the slow pace of life - although I think there's a lot of work to be done with whatchamacallits.

The second video makes a trip on a narrowboat seem fun and full of adventure. But now I wonder, are the canals all one way? That was such a skinny one that until the canal opens up, there would be no passing another boat.

Another great example of how a photo prompt provokes more research into unexpected stories. You should take a trip down the intracoastal waterway/canal one day. It's very unlike the rivers, bays, and ocean around Hampton Roads, and very peaceful. If you search on eBay for "Dismal Swamp" postcards, you will find some vintage ones that resemble your photos. I bet the lock might be in one too.

My first thought was that it was for a boat slip. Well that's what we call it in Australia. Every year my father had to bring the boat up on the slip for painting and removal of barnacles. The winches looked similar to this.

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About Me

My name is Wendy. About twenty years ago, I helped my mother research the Jolletts. Since retiring from teaching, I have expanded my research which I share here. When I’m not looking for my own family, I index for FamilySearch and the Greene County Historical Society.
Welcome to Jollett Etc. Please leave a comment to let me know you were here. If you have more information or believe we are related, EMAIL ME at wendymath at cox dot net